X-ray imaging systems are widely used in medical diagnosis and industrial and security inspection environments. One well known prior art x-ray imaging system is commonly referred to as an x-ray image intensifier ("XII") system. The XII system includes a large image tube that converts a low intensity x-ray image into a visible image. Incident x-rays are transmitted through a low absorbing window, then absorbed by an input phosphor screen and converted into a light image. On the inner surface of the input phosphor screen is a photocathode which converts the light into photoelectrons. The photoelectrons are accelerated and focused by an electrical static lens. The focused photoelectrons bombard an output phosphor screen and are converted into an optical image. A charge-coupled device ("CCD") or a camera tube is coupled to the output phosphor screen to convert the light image into an electronic video signal.
However, the XII system suffers from a number of problems due to the multiple conversion stages, resulting in a reduction in image resolution and image contrast as well as pincussion distortion caused by the magnification error of the electrical static lens. Moreover, the XII system is complex and bulky.
To overcome the problems associated with the XII system, alternative x-ray imaging systems employing flat-panel radiation image sensors have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,187 to Fraleux et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,487 to Nishiki et al. disclose early designs of large area flat-panel radiation image sensors for use in radiation imaging systems. These flat-panel sensors are responsive to incident x-rays and generate output signals representative of a radiation image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,426 to Antonuk et al. discloses a direct-detection x-ray image sensor incorporating an amorphous silicon thin film transistor ("TFT") switch and photodiode array. X-rays are detected by a phosphor screen that is placed on the top of the TFT switch and photodiode array. When x-rays interact with the phosphor film, light photons are generated and converted into electronic charges by the photodiode array. The charges are read out via the TFT switches to generate an image. However, problems exist with this sensor. Because the sensor employs a phosphor screen to detect the x-rays, blurring occurs due to the fact that the light photons are emitted in all directions and are scattered inside the phosphor screen. This results in a poor image resolution. Although higher resolution can be obtained by increasing the thickness of the phosphor film, this is done at the expense of signal gain.
In an article entitled "New solid-state image pickup devices using photosensitive chalcogenide glass film," by T. Tsukada et al., published in the Proceedings of IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, 1979, pp.134-136, a solid state image sensor is disclosed including a photoconductive selenium film deposited on a n-channel MOSFET switch array made from crystalline silicon. Although this image sensor is suitable for some imaging applications, it is not suited for large area radiation imaging applications due to the difficulties in fabricating a large sensor array on a crystalline silicon wafer.
In an article entitled "Digital radiology using self-scanned readout of amorphous selenium," authored by W. Zhao et al. presented at COMP91, Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Jun. 19, 1991, a flat-panel x-ray image sensor is disclosed. The image sensor includes a thick amorphous selenium film (a-Se) on a two-dimensional TFT switch array. The TFT switches are arranged in rows and columns to form a two-dimensional imaging system. Gate lines interconnect the TFT switches in each row while source lines interconnect the TFT switches in each column. The thick selenium film is deposited directly on top of the TFT switch array and a top electrode is deposited on the selenium film. When x-rays are incident on the selenium film and the top electrode is biased with a high voltage, electron-hole pairs are separated by the electric field across the thickness of the selenium film. The holes which are driven by the electric field move toward the pixel electrodes (i.e. the drain electrodes of the TFT switches) and accumulate. This results in a charge being held by the pixel electrodes which can be used to develop an x-ray image. The charge held by the pixel electrodes can be read by supplying a pulse to each gate line. When a gate line receives a pulse, the TFT switches in the row turn on, allowing the signal charges on the pixel electrodes to flow to the source lines. Charge amplifiers connected to the source lines sense the charge and provide output voltage signals proportional to the charge and hence, proportional to the radiation exposure on the selenium film.
Because a thick amorphous selenium film is deposited on the TFT switch array, a few problems may arise which reduce image quality. During x-ray exposure, most of the holes are drawn to the pixel electrodes by the applied electric field, but some of them are drawn to the dielectric film which overlies the source and gate lines. As this occurs, the electric field above the dielectric film decreases. Because the quantum efficiency of an a-Se film is approximately approportional to the electric field in the bulk of the a-Se film, signal charges generated by x-ray exposure of the a-Se film decline. Once the electric field decreases to a certain level, x-ray generated holes become trapped in the bulk of the selenium film above the dielectric film. Also, the trapped holes in the bulk of the selenium film may be released slowly by thermal energy and collected by adjacent pixel electrodes, resulting in decay-lag which again affects image quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,206 to Lee discloses a flat panel image sensor similar to that described by Zhao except that a dielectric film is placed between the x-ray conversion layer and the pixel electrodes or between the x-ray conversion layer and the top electrode. Because no DC current component flows from the top electrode to the pixel electrode through the x-ray conversion layer due to the dielectric film, the charge stored by the pixel electrode must be read using a capacitive coupling method. Also, the reset operation (i.e. the removal of residual charges in the x-ray conversion layer) must be carried out by inverting the polarity of the biasing voltage applied to the top electrode. Although this image sensor has a high voltage tolerance due to the fact that the pixel electrodes pick up a differential voltage proportional to the radiation exposure (and not a DC component of the voltage applied to the top electrode), the image sensor suffers drawbacks. Specifically, the image sensor is difficult to operate in real time and requires a complicated driving scheme.
European Patent No. 0,588,397 discloses an x-ray imaging device designed to deal with the above described problems. The x-ray imaging device includes a doped semiconductor layer covering all of the TFT switch array with the exception of the pixel electrodes. The doped semiconductor film allows holes collected in the semiconductor film above the source and gate lines (i.e. the area between adjacent pixel electrodes) to drift towards the pixel electrodes. However, one problem exists in that since the semiconductor layer overlays the entire area of the TFT switch array between the pixel electrodes, a diffusion of charges from one pixel area to adjacent pixel areas may occur especially around bright image locations. This results in a reduction in image resolution.
In addition to the drawbacks noted above with respect to the prior art image sensors, the above described flat panel image sensors suffer from problems due to electronic noise. Because the image sensors include an M.times.N matrix of TFT switches, there are M.times.N intersections between the gate lines driving the TFT switches and the source lines upon which stored charges are to be sensed. Fluctuations in the potential on the gate lines become coupled to the source lines through parasitic capacitance at overlapping nodes of the gate and source lines and through parasitic capacitance at the TFT switches. The parasitic capacitance at the TFT switches is a result of feed-through charges generated by switching the TFT switches on and off. In both cases, this parasitic capacitance is fed to the source lines where it is passed to output circuitry in the form of electronic noise. This results in a reduction in image resolution. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved flat panel detector for radiation imaging.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel flat panel detector for a radiation imaging system which obviates or mitigates at least one of the above-mentioned problems.